We Ate A Whole Chicken

Through Local Harvest I learned about Gramen Farm in Tomball.  We recently visited the place to learn more about the farm and the products available for purchase.  It was fun!  The girls loved petting the goats and walking through mud.  My husband loved that they have grass-fed beef (though not on the day that we went).  The owner was very helpful and informative and encouraged us to try a chicken so we bought one.  The price was $4 per pound.  Jason went to the cooler with one of our dark green reusable shopping bags and selected our carcass.  I was terrified about what I might find in the bag when we got home; I was worried about the blood and guts.

I have never done this sort of thing before.  Even though we have hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the last six years, I have never handled a raw turkey.  Every time I handle raw flesh I want to become a vegetarian (well there are other environmental reasons too).  When we stopped at the Farmers Market on the way home to check out the produce available that is when my buyer's remorse set in regarding the chicken.  I declared that my husband would absolutely have to manage the kitchen clean-up that night.  And he did.  (I was delighted to later learn that the chicken was already cleaned at the farm and only required a gentle rinsing at home.)

The chicken dinner was absolutely amazing!  The whole chicken was roasted in the oven with a whole lemon inside, after it was coated with olive oil and Herbs De Provence.  It weighed four pounds so it needed to cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.  While roasting, I boiled potatoes and made mashed potatoes and then steamed green beans.  It was one of the best meals ever.  The girls eagerly asked for more, more, more please.  I could tell that my husband was internally panicking over whether he would have enough to eat (well he did manage to save some of the thigh meat for lunch the next day).

The owner of Gramen Farm warned us when we bought the chicken that we would have a difficult time eating any other chicken after we tried a free range chicken and he was right.  Even though I can buy affordable organic chicken breasts at Costco, I have been waiting to buy another chicken at Gramen Farm.  I think I have finally found the courage to manage my fears over raw chicken in the kitchen because I am even more excited about putting good food on the table for my family.